At 43 years old, there still appears to be some pop in the bat of Jose Bautista.
Bautista, known by many as Joey Bats, was in attendance at the Toronto Blue Jays game yesterday versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. Joining him was another Blue Jays great in Edwin Encarnacion, as the two made an appearance at the team shop to be part of the official release of the City Connect jerseys.
Much to the pleasure of Blue Jays fans throughout the entire country, Bautista also took part in warmups prior to yesterday’s game. The six-time All Star first worked on his fielding, before stepping into the batting cage, where, non surprisingly, he blasted some home runs.
Jose Bautista’s still got it! 💥 pic.twitter.com/7aDHcw8zJD
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 1, 2024
José Bautista taking BP with the #BlueJays.
He hits one to Jupiter near the end here. pic.twitter.com/oSPh4Ej5Zb
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) May 31, 2024
Following his warmup, Bautista sat down with Sportsnet’s Jamie Campbell and Caleb Joseph to explain what he knew about the Blue Jays organization before becoming a part of it in 2008.
“I knew it was in Canada,” Bautista said with a grin. “I knew that [they] were in the AL East and that it was a tough place to compete. They had won a couple of World Series, but as a culture, as a city, I didn’t know much, I’m not going to shy away from saying that. But, getting here was a blessing in disguise for me and my career. Then I got to learn about this beautiful city, beautiful country, and I’ve enjoyed every minute ever since.”
While Bautista had many iconic moments during his time with the Blue Jays, he will always best be remembered for his bat flip, which came off of a three-run home run in Game 5 of the ALDS versus the Texas Rangers. It gave the Blue Jays a 6-3 lead, which they would hold onto.
While there were no bat flips during yesterday’s batting practice, simply seeing Bautista back in the cage was a welcomed site for fans.
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